What being in a regional PR agency taught me about PR’s “weakest” generation

If I had a dime every time someone says “your generation is too soft for the workplace, how will you survive the agency life?” I would be one rich man living retirement near the coast of Barbados. 

Scroll through LinkedIn long enough and you will encounter someone lamenting how Gen Z is an unreliable, non-resilient bunch that has zero staying power. 

As a Gen Z working in a regional Public Relations (PR) agency, here’s how the cookie actually crumbles. 

A glimpse into life inside a regional PR agency

As many would tell, life as a consultant in an agency is not for the faint of heart.  Between navigating diverse cultures and languages, managing clients across multiple time zones, and keeping pace with an audience that lives on fast-moving digital platforms, the work is relentless. 

A campaign strategy that works in Kuala Lumpur could entirely miss the mark in Ho Chi Minh City. Similarly, a media pitch that landed an interview with a key news outlet in Singapore will never work within the Indonesian media landscape. 

Add to that the constant pace of social media, crisis management, and the expectation to deliver results yesterday, and you have one of the most challenging environments in the communications industry.

And yet, Gen Z doesn’t just survive here, we thrive. 

The chaos of digital culture is second nature to us, and that gives us an edge in navigating the complexity of regional PR.

The “weakness” narrative is our greatest arsenal

One key narrative that has been spun beyond salvation is that “Gen Z easily crumbles under pressure” But in PR, a field where pressure becomes fuel for our day-to-day life, the opposite is true. 

If fragility were our defining trait, we would not be standing, let alone excelling. 

In Malaysia specifically, the Gen Z demographic has seen an exponential 50 per cent year-on-year increase in the workforce since 2020. 

Over the past few years, we’ve navigated pandemic-driven shifts, adapted to the rise of AI in media, and responded to crises unfolding at lightning speed on social platforms.

Our strength and resilience lie not in the claims of complacency, but in taking necessary actions to ensure that we are able to quickly adapt to the ever-changing geopolitical landscape. 

Born alongside the rise of the internet, our digital fluency is our greatest asset. 

We grew up with social media at the ready. We spend close to six hours daily on social media such as TikTok, Instagram, X (Twitter), YouTube Shorts. 

We pay close attention to how trends spread, what  sorts of formatting work, and how audiences behave online. 

This gives us an edge and advantage in shaping strong, cohesive narratives without risking sounding tone-deaf. 

In a world where noise oversaturates, we value authenticity and credibility over fluff pieces. 

We hold brands and organisations accountable to take a stand on social issues, but it goes without saying that this must be approached with authenticity, bravery, and strategic intent. 

Lessons from within

Being in PR has opened my eyes to a different definition of resilience; it does not always look like stoicism. 

For us Gen Zers, resilience is about being quick to adapt, be it pivoting mid-campaign when client needs happen overnight, or even navigating entire projects remotely across five countries and still delivering quality results. 

Resilience is about knowing when to push back on burnout culture because it is the only way to allow us to keep creating, thinking, and leading. 

Collaboration is a core component too. We are not “isolated” behind our screens always. In my own personal experience, the best outputs almost always come from intermingling generational strengths: the institutional wisdom and foresight of much seasoned colleagues coupled with the cultural fluency and digital instincts of younger ones.

This myth of generational disputes often dissolved and united by one unifying mission: crafting impactful stories for our partners across the region.

The bottom line

So, what has working in a regional PR agency shown me about being part of the so-called “weakest” generation? 

Stereotypes simply just don’t hold up. 

Make no mistakes, we might be the underdogs but we are not the weakest link.

We are a collective built for this moment: well-versed in digital space and culture, comfortable with chaos, and unafraid to call out what doesn’t work.

In Southeast Asia’s fast-moving, always-on PR landscape, that doesn’t just make Gen Z fit for agency life, it makes us indispensable.

If you are curious to lear more about PR and how PR agencies can help your brand reach new bounds, reach out to us at hello(a)syncpr.co today!